Doors of opportunity

“Don’t wait for life to go your way, go your way and take life with you"

Like everything else in my life, I tend to plan trips my way, yet I always end up taking a different turn or adjusting my original plan to my present desire, finally learning to love it when nothing ever goes as planned.

I used to guide tourists in a historical museum, and one of my friends there was longing to go camping as did I. A mutual friend of ours came along for the ride and the original plan was to go to a vineyard for a wine tour and then head towards an official well-organized camping site. Since the vineyard was closed our plans changed.

There was a Deli in the area selling local red wine and fresh goat cheese. It sounded like a good idea to buy some treats for our trip. Leaving with a recommendation from the owner to check out the river nearby. It was beautiful and so quiet, that we decided to spend the night out there without cellular service!.

Before it got too dark and the air turned cold, even though the water was shallow, a relaxing bath inside the river was a must. After that putting up the tent was a challenging struggle, a tent for two that barely fit three, but it was enough because what mattered was enjoying our little adventure and the small tent was the last thing on our minds that night. Popped open the wine bottle and ate the goat cheese just laying outside on the ground, under the bright stars. I remember never wanting to leave.

The dilemma of my desire to work abroad with tourists in a resort, compared to the fact that it meant to be away from my friends and family for half a year, kept me awake that night.

I woke up and went to the interview anyways, thanks to past interviews I knew that only being true to myself will let me know for sure if that job is for me whether I get it or not.

And so during the interview, I told the human resource recruiter for Club Med’s resorts around the world, that I have no previous experience in working in the hotel business, but I do have a former experience in guiding tourists at museums and I’m great at public relations.

She was even more impressed with me when I told her that I have a good ear for learning new languages. So I got an offer for a position as a hotel receptionist in one of the new Club Med’s resorts that opened in the French alps, under the condition that I learned French in three month, covered by the company.

I left the interview very excited and I had to give the recruiter my final answer that same night. Even though it was a great window of opportunities, I decided to pass that offer because I didn’t want to be spending half a year in the cold winter of France without my friends and family.

Instead of feeling like I made a mistake giving up on my dream to live and work abroad. I started to look for different jobs in the hotel business in my country, and I was hired for the position of a hostess/waitress at the hotel business lounge. Where I met so many wonderful hotel guests from Greece, France, Italy, California, Australia… And I met H, a brilliant, easy going- good hearted person that was working at the reception of the hotel and we became fast friends.

It’s been almost a year since I had the interview, where I closed a door of opportunity and opened a new door for myself. I keep dreaming of working and living abroad one day, but I know the door I closed and the one I opened for myself were the right decisions for me. I wouldn’t have had it any other way.

Danielle